home4school Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 My ds14 is starting to have lots of skin troubles. He washes twice a day now with Neutrogena acne wash (w/salcylic acid), but is still having breakouts. He's always had sensitive skin. We've tried the Acne Free line, but it made his face red all over like a sunburn for several hours each time he used it. I don't think he can use things with the benezol peroxide. I saw something online about the Burts Bees acne line and thought maybe someone here had used it. Perhaps its just time for the dermatologist. I had terrible skin at his age and was on Accutane for several years. He's probably going to take after me.:glare: Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Fortunately my kids have clear skin, but my friend was complaining about her son's acne. I told her that I had read here about washing with honey. It cleared up his skin completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryl Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Honey? Hmmm.....maybe I'll try that next. :tongue_smilie: Yes, my almost 12 yo dd has been on BB for about 6 months now. I've noticed that it does clear up IF she is consistent with washing etc. I bought the scrub....deep pore. But, be careful as there are LOTS of BB products and not all are created equal. Use warm-hot water to "open" pores. Scrub, scrub, scrub. Rinse, of course (not with cold water b/c you don't want to close the pores, yet.) You want to keep them open so the "targeted spot treatment" toner can get inside and work. Face dries naturally. Do NOT use the regular toner as it doesn't work as well. If there's a sting, then you know it's working. I bought her the "targeted spot treatment" and it stings. If done at least once or preferably 2x/day then it will clear up, but it may take weeks. Perseverance pays off. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
home4school Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 Fortunately my kids have clear skin, but my friend was complaining about her son's acne. I told her that I had read here about washing with honey. It cleared up his skin completely. I thought I remembered something about honey, but I couldn't find the thread. What is it you do? Thanks Sheryl for the reply. I may give it a try. I just found a product called Exposed that has great reviews, but its pricey. Anyone used it? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Year Round Mom Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I read about the oil cleansing method on this board and gave it a try, as I've had acne just about forever! http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/ It's counterintuitive, but it works! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I find that diluted organic apple cider vinegar clears up acne quite efficiently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
home4school Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 I read about the oil cleansing method on this board and gave it a try, as I've had acne just about forever! http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/ It's counterintuitive, but it works! :) Thank you for the link. I don't know that I could get him to follow the steps as needed. I'll have to give it a better read when the house is quieter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
home4school Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 I find that diluted organic apple cider vinegar clears up acne quite efficiently. How do you use it? Just wipe it on like a toner? Do you rinse it off? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Thanks for this link. The site says not to do the deep cleansing too often - how often is too often? Is it a weekly routine, or every couple days? I read about the oil cleansing method on this board and gave it a try, as I've had acne just about forever! http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/ It's counterintuitive, but it works! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I bought the book Don't Go To the Cosmetics Counter Without Me. It's so good for cutting through the marketing nonsense and working out whether or not a product will do what it says it will do. Definitely a book worth buying. She was not very positive about most of the BB products, because she said that often "natural" does not necessarily mean "good for skin" and in the case of some BB products, they ingredients would be detrimental to skin. Neutrogena seemed to me to be a line that got decent reviews more often than many other lines, but it still depends on a product to product basis. Anyway, I'm not recommending anything to buy, except the book which will guide you to a choice that is right for your sons skin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I think different approaches work depending upon a person's general skin type and hygiene habits. My nephew and my brother are close in age, and both struggled with cystic acne as young adults; their skin type and hygiene habits were completely different, though, and despite months of trying the same products and methods ... nothing every worked equally well for both boys. Some of it was just hormonal. Some of it, IMO, was detoxing (I know it's outdated to blame food, but I believe acne is one type of defense the body uses to detox.) Some of it was just laziness about wiping down a shared phone, or habitually touching spots on their faces with oily, dirty hands. Some of it was simple genetics. My brother had/has sensitive skin. Salicylic acid was too harsh for him to use all over, but he could use it as spot-treatments on particularly bad acne cysts. His skin was mostly dry, slightly oily in the T-zone, but most of his breakouts were on the cheeks and chin (dry areas); too frequent washing with products too harsh for his skin were causing his glands to overproduce. Large pores courtesy of our father didn't help. Nor did his love of dairy products (we're lactose intolerant and all but he abstain). What worked best for him was to make sure he didn't strip his face of it's natural oils and cause it to try to compensate. He washed once daily with raw, pure honey. A few times a week, he added a teaspoon or so of sugar or salt to gently exfoliate (just random packets from restaurants). He moisturized with a (pricy but worthwhile) lotion that contained propylis. I'd imagine a company called Burt's Bees might incorporate propylis, but I don't know; I don't use their products. His face cleared up after about a year; he still gets occasional bumps, but nothing too bad. He still washes with honey and sugar/salt. It took a month to see true improvement with the acne, but after just a week you could tell his skin was becoming healthier. My nephew had super oily, thick skin. He does well with salicylic acid (his favorite is Mychelle's White Cranberry because it's the least drying and still effective) and uses it 4-5x/week. The other days he uses a Neutrogena product, not sure which but I'd bet it's an acne-specific wash. He found he couldn't do the salicylic acid stuff every single day. He also spot treats any cysts with benzoyl peroxide, which he keeps chilled in the refrigerator. Strong products and frequent washings work for him in keeping the acne under control because his overproduction isn't a result of stripping the natural oils. If your son has sensitive skin, it may just be that he needs a gentler approach - one that may not be 100% effective, or even 90% as effective as something more harsh and stronger. One that may take longer to see results. Either way, I know it's hard for him and I think he's fortunate to have a parent who empathizes. It always makes me sad to hear parents who can't relate just crap on their kids like the kids are choosing to struggle with this problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Year Round Mom Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Thanks for this link. The site says not to do the deep cleansing too often - how often is too often? Is it a weekly routine, or every couple days? I'm still new to the method, and am trying to find my routine still...I think that daily is too much for my skin and am going for every other day...massaging in the oils 8-10 minutes each time. My skin looks and feels LOADS healthier, but not perfect, yet. I need to figure out also the ratio of castor oil to EVOO my skin needs to max out the benefits. Maybe I need to do it less often...hmmmm...still very much in the process here! Sorry I couldn't be more help :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Thanks! Experimenting is fine. I just wasn't sure if I was missing something. I'm still new to the method, and am trying to find my routine still...I think that daily is too much for my skin and am going for every other day...massaging in the oils 8-10 minutes each time. My skin looks and feels LOADS healthier, but not perfect, yet. I need to figure out also the ratio of castor oil to EVOO my skin needs to max out the benefits. Maybe I need to do it less often...hmmmm...still very much in the process here! Sorry I couldn't be more help :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 OP: I did a quick google search last night and found a crazy long thread about using honey on the Mothering forums. A number of people used a bit of baking soda mixed with the honey. There were a number of mentions of apple cider vinegar as toner, and the oil cleansing method. I just scanned it, skipping many pages, but you might find some useful info there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
home4school Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 Thanks for all the replies. I'm certainly going to try these before buying anything else. I think we have a dozen acne products under the counter now. Thanks again!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 How do you use it? Just wipe it on like a toner? Do you rinse it off? Thanks! I just wipe it on like toner and let it dry. It can be drying, but I've never seen anything that works better for me for getting rid of acne literally overnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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